Nightrealms Carrion Crown

Iomedea - The Inheritor

Born as a mortal in Cheliax, Iomedae is the youngest of the gods. She served first as a warrior leading the Knights of Ozem against the Whispering Tyrant, and later ascended to godhood by passing the Test of the Starstone, when she was chosen by Aroden as his new herald following the death of Arazni. When Aroden himself died, Iomedae inherited most of his followers and the bulk of his church, tilting them toward valor, justice, and honor. She is a missionary and crusader, and is crucial to overcoming the evil tide that is sweeping across Golarion.

Adventurers
When you choose Iomedae as your deity, you declare that you will tolerate neither chaos nor evil, and vow to stamp them out wherever they arise. You become a crusader, traveling the world to find uprisings of evil so that you can tamp them back down. You are willing and able to serve and to lead; you have a forthright attitude and have no patience for lying, fraud, or deceit. You believe in discipline for yourself and others, tempered with love and respect.

Although your goddess is a warrior and your church is known for its efforts in battle, you still prefer the word over the sword. You would rather solve differences without bloodshed, but even when negotiating, you are firm and principled. And, of course, as an adventurer, you recognize that situations exist where the sword is the only answer.

Classes
Your faith lends itself to adventuring—you need to battle evil and spread the word of Iomedae, and while you might not preach openly everywhere you go, you certainly make no effort to hide your faith. Your forthright behavior frequently makes you a natural leader, for while you may not have extensive experience, you are willing to make tough decisions and plan a course of action. If you’re not the leading type, you are a valuable ally for those who do choose leadership roles, because your honest advice ensures that those leaders stay on the righteous path.

Goals
Iomedae is by far the most active god when it comes to battling evil on Golarion. As a worshiper of the Inheritor, your first goal is to stamp out evil and injustice wherever you find it. You can do this in cities or in the wild, because the truth of your goddess shines brightly wherever she stands. You do not charge into battle against unbeatable odds—your faith does not require stupidity—but you do all in your power to protect the innocent and show them how to stand up for themselves.

Identifiers
The first icon of Iomedaean worshipers is the sword. Whether or not you personally wield one, you likely carry a token sword of copper, tin, brass, or bronze somewhere on your person, and may display your goddess’s sword-and-sunburst holy symbol openly, on a shield, tabard, or banner. You prefer to keep your raiment clean and in good repair, so as to appear strong and proud.

Other Faiths
Iomedae herself is on good terms with all the good gods, as well as the civilization-oriented Abadar, and as a result her followers tend to be as well. As one of them, you’re happy to work with all good souls against evil, try to set a good example for adherents of neutral faiths, and never ally with any of the dark gods.

Of course, just because you’re on good terms with other churches doesn’t mean you don’t have your own private opinions of them. Sarenrae’s followers are often holy crusaders and thus closest to your heart, and Torag’s military experts are invaluable in a fight. You feel that followers of Cayden Cailean and Desna can be too impulsive and shortsighted. Shelynites think too much about beauty and rarely enough about worldly matters. Erastil’s followers are strong when defending their homes, but all too willing to let the world go to hell around them so long as their own little plot of land remains inviolate. Regardless of such feelings, flawed allies are far better than no allies at all

Taboos
If you see an opportunity to right a wrong and fail to take it, you have sinned against Iomedae and must perform a penance that fixes the original situation. If that’s not possible, you must find three others like it and make those right instead. You must stand for justice, and the only exception is if you are playing a longer game that will have far greater benefits when it comes to fruition. Should you fail in this, you may lose traits and class abilities related to your faith until you complete your penance.

The Church

The church of Iomedae is strongest in Andoran, Cheliax, Lastwall, and Mendev. Oddly, in devil-worshiping Cheliax her faith is often respected and even quietly encouraged; she is of Chelish descent and her lawful divinity makes her an example of what Chelaxians can achieve.

The church of Iomedae is organized in circles. At the head of these circles is the First Sword Knight of Iomedae, who commands the First Circle of 14 Second Sword Knights. Each of these knights in turn commands a Second Circle, and so forth. Advancement through the ranks depends on purity of faith and purpose, ability, valor, and honor. The ranks of the Sword Knights and Circles are roughly analogous to those of the military, and her church frequently works alongside or integrates with the local military. The holy sites of Iomedae’s church are major battlefields or places where heroes have fallen in the struggle against evil. The greatest holy site, however, is the Cathedral of the Starstone itself. Since worshipers cannot reach it themselves, the primary church of Iomedae is the shrine in Absalom called the Seventh Church.

The holy book of Iomedae is The Acts of Iomedae, usually called just The Acts. It tells of 11 miracles that Iomedae performed in Aroden’s name while she was still a mortal. The church supplements The Acts with accounts of individual heroes and saints, noteworthy local battles, and tales that uplift the faithful.